In today's modern business world the key to productivity for businesses is their ability to efficiently store, manage, and reuse information content and work product. Each business has challenges in managing content. Challenges include having a reliable, efficient, and intuitive organizing system. Also, content management systems should accurately handle version control such that the most current version of a document is used for customer correspondence, supply purchases, or co-worker collaboration. Furthermore, content management systems not only file documents but also store content of differing media, from video to photographs to audio files. Finally, a content management system is not merely an electronic file cabinet that employees use to search and retrieve files, but a digital vault that secures confidential content from customers, suppliers, or fellow workers.
A content management system should be easy to use such that a company's employees should only have a short learning curve so as to not lose their productivity. In addition, the content management system should make typical tasks more efficient, making it worth the investment in time and money for businesses. For example, the e-mailing of documents as attachments to e-mail messages should not be inhibited when sending these same documents from a content management system. No business can trade a content management system for less efficient means for producing daily work product.
In a legal environment, content management can be more challenging than other traditional businesses. Attorneys collaborate with each other as well as with clients and third parties (e.g. expert witnesses). Due to the nature of the relationship between attorneys and their clients, work product and content are kept confidential. Consequently, a content management system in a legal environment should provide security and confidentiality among a group of users. Furthermore, attorneys strive for efficiency and productivity. Therefore, a content management system should be efficient and yield higher productivity for a firm than without investing in a system. Consequently, a system should be easy to use and efficiently perform typical tasks in a legal environment. At the same time, a system should provide a productive means to collaborate with client, third parties, and fellow attorneys. Finally, a content management system should be compatible with typical, daily document processes in a law firm.